Stjcker-rod elevator



l 622 537 March 29 1927' A. H. NElLsoN SUCKER ROD'ELEVATOR Filed Feb, 12, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l March 29, 1927.

A. H. NEILSON sUcKER ROD ELEVATOR Filed Feb. l2. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ffy,

, 5 INV NTQR 'H/ff/ Magda/50M ATTORNEY Patented Mar. Z9, 1927.

UNITED STATES ALBERT H. NEILSON, OF TULSA, OKLAHOMA.

SUCKER-ROD ELEVATOR.

Application led February 12, 1926. Serial No. 87,802.

My invention relates to an elevator for Sucker rods or the like and more vparticularly to a clamping device for connecting the pull rope of an oil well derrick with sucker 5 rods which are to be let into or removed from the well, the following description referring particularly to use of the invention in connection with sucker rods, although its employment in connection with tubing or l casing will be apparent.

Sucker rods of the type employed in oil wells are usually of twenty foot lengths and provided with coupling members comprising sleeves of greater diameter than the rods l themselves so that a number of rods may be connected end to end to form a string of sutlicient length to reach the pump at the bottom of the well. In letting in the string it is customary to support the rods in the well from the casing head by means of a clamp which surrounds the upper rod of the string with sufficient clearance to permit the rod to be moved in the clamp, but of a diameter to be engaged by the coupling, and thereby suspend the string. Each additional rod section or joint to be added to `the string is elevated to a perpendicular position over the well by means of another clamp which is applied to the coupling of the loose rod or joint and connected with the pull rope. When the fresh rod section is coupled to the string, the extended string is lifted slightly to relieve the clamp on the casing head and the latter clamp removed so that the extended string may be lowered; and the operation repeated until the string of rod reaches to the bottom of the well.

In pulling rods for cleaning or other purposes the operation above described is reversed, a clamp being applied to the upper joint of the string and the string lifted to expose the coupling of a-neXt lower joint, a clamp applied to the last named coupling and the upper joint uncoupled and removed from the string.

With either operation, each of' the two clamps alternately constitutes a spider and an elevator element. Consequently, it is desirable that while the clamp be sufhciently rugged to withstand the strains imposed upon it by the weight of a heavy string of rods, it should be of a minimum weight and easily manipulable to facilitate its manual application to and removal from the rods. It should also be double faced in order to avoid the necessity for selective Iitting.

It is the object of my present invention to provide a strong, easily handled clamp of this character, having the advantages above noted, together with others hereinafter mentioned, ,and in accomplishing this object I have provided improved details of structure, the preferred forms of which are illustrated 1n the accompanying drawings wherein Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a clamp embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the clamp body severed horizontally with the sections spaced apart to illustrate the jaws and jawoperating mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective View of the top of the clamp body, particularly illustrating the seating ring or washer.

Fig. s is a transverse vertical section of the clamp.

Fig. 5 is a. horizontal section on the line 5 5, Fig. 7, showing the jaws closed in position for supporting a rod.

Fig. 6 is a similar view, showing the jaws open and illustrating the manual operation of the clamp.

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal, vertical section of the clamp illustrating application of a rod thereto.

Referring more in detail to the drawings,

1 designates the block or body of the clamp, preferably formed of cast steel and comprising a boxdke structure including side walls 2 and closed top and bottom portions 8, the ends of the block being ope-1i at 4- and 5, and the front endsof the side walls being turned inwardly as at 6 and 7 to form a slightly restricted throat 8. I have referred to the portions 3 as top and bottom merely to distinguish them from the sides and ends of the block, the portions 3 being duplicates of each other so that either may be up or down when applied to a rod. Consequently I will specifically describe but one of the portions 3, with the understanding that such description relates equally to both.

On the inner faces of the side walls 2 and extending from the rear to about the center thereof are spaced guide rails 9 9 and 10 10', and slidably mounted in the guide slots 11 and 12 formed by said guide rails is a draw plate 13, having a rearwardly eX- tended, U-shaped handle 14, the cross barof which comprises a grip member, preferably provided on its inner edge with linger grooves 15 to facilitate gripping of the handle by an operator.

The top and bottom members are provided with central, rearwardly directed slots 16 tern'nnating in semi-circular recesses 17,

and extending between the top and bottomv members and enclosing the inner edges of the recesses is a semi-cylindrical wall 13, constituting a stop for engagement by a sucker rod when the clamp is placed thereover; the front edges of the wall being perpendicular to the top and bottom portions and the wall. being` provided with flanges 1S) for reinforcingk the structure.

Extending from the outer face of each top and bottom member 3, about and spaced from the edge of the annular recess 1'? is a ring flange 20, forming a seat 21 for a wear ring 22, the ring having a conical inner edge 23 forming a tapered seat for the coupling member of a rod, the body of which may lie inl the recess 1T of Ithe block. The lower edge of the seat is of less diameter than the recess 17 to lie within the latter and prevent contact of the rod with the block to save the block from grinding wear by the rod. The ring is replacable but normally held securely rto its seat by screws 24e that are extended through apertures 25 in the ring and have heads countersunk in the upper face of the ring and threaded Shanks 26 located in sockets 27 in the shoulderedseat 21. The rings 22 have slots 28 registering with the slots 16 of the top and bottom members 3` both the slots 16 and 28 converging inwardly to form a throat for guiding the clamp onto a rod to seat the rod in the block recesses and the coupling within the' wear ring seat.

Pivotally mounted onbolts 30 mounted in the forward corners of the block, are latched jaws 31 and 32, rearwardly directed within the block and of such length that when turned inwardly they contact at a locking angle across the plane of the slots 16, the inner corners of the rear ends of the having flat locking' faces 33 adapted for contact when the jaws are in their locking position. Pivotally connecting the jaws with the handle member 13 are toggle links 31, whereby the jaws may be opened and closed by manipulation of the handle. rhe connection of the links with the latch jaws preferably effected by recessing the jaws as shown at 35, extending the forward ends of the links 31 into the recesses and pivotally connecting such ends of the links with the jaws by pins 36 which may be drive fitted into the jaw members. rlhe links are preferably connected with the handle member by projecting the rear ends of the links into recesses 37 in the forward end of the handle member and pivotally connecting said rear ends of the links with the handle member by pins 38 which may be drive fitted into the handle. The links are of such length that when the handle member is in its forward position the latch jaws are held in locking relation, the handle, the links and the latch jaws constituting a toggle mechanism.

As it is the function of the jaws to prevent escape of the rod from the clamp or vice-versa, when the clamp is in place on a rod, l provide means for normally retaining the latch jaws closed but adapted for automatic opening when the clamp is moved over a rod, the latchesA acting as a gate toy close the slot 16.

The gate closingr mechanism preferably comprises a pin 39 fastened to and extending rearwardly fromk the wall 18 through an aperture 40 in the front end of the handle member and provided with a rear head 41, the aperture 40 being preferably formed in a collar L12 on the front end of the handle member and the collar recessed at the rear to form a spring seat 13.

Surrounding the pin 39 and bearing at its opposite ends against the handle member within the collar seat and against the pin head 41, is a spring all which normally. yieldingly urges the handle member forn wardly, thereby tending to yieldingly urge the latch jaws to locking relation wherein they close the slot 16 to prevent the escape of a rod or the clamp from a rod when the clamp is in use.

Projecting from. the side walls of the block are trunnions and litting the trunnions are bearings 416 on the ends of a bail: 17 of the usual construction, and whereby the block is pivotally mounted within the bail to swing loosely and thereby facilitate its application to a rod when the clamp is suspended by the bail from the ordinary pull rope. In Fig. 1 in the drawings I have shown the clamp lying horizon-tally from a vertically suspended bail.. This is the position the parts assume when the clamp is applied to a rod, but when the clamp is free it hangs perpendicularly so that it may be turned to the right or left as may be most convenient for the operator.

A clamp constructed and assembled as described, is operated as follows:

Assuming first that the clamp is to be employed for pulling rods from the well, one of the clamps is applied to the upper joint of rod by pushing the clamp over the rod to force the latch jaws open and admit tbe rod to the recesses at the inner ends of the throat slots. When the clamp is applied to the rod the latch jaws yield to permit the rod to pass, and when the rod has passed, the jaws automatically return to functional position and trap the rod to prevent esca-pe of the clamp therefrom. The clamp is then rested on the casing head of the well. rthe derrick pull rope is then let down and hooked onto the clamp bail and the rope drummed to elevate the clamp. As the clamp fits slidably over the sucker rod it moves upwardly along the rod under pull of the rope until it reaches the coupling collar on the upper end of the rod, which latter is then seated in the wear ring and further elevation of the clamp lifts the string of rods, the lifting continuing until the upper joint of rod is entirely out ot the well and the coupling between the upper and next lower joint exposed above the casing head. Lifting of the string is then interrupted, another clamp applied to the next lower joint and the string lowered slightly to seat the coupling member ot said next lower joint within the exterior seat of the last named clamp. The string is then held suspended in the well from the clamp resting on the casing head, and the upper joint of rod unscrewed from the string and moved away Jfrom the well. The clamp carried by the pull rope is then removed trom the freed joint of rod and, lowered to the well platform, where an operator unhooks the clamp from the rope and hooks the rope onto the clamp that is suspending the string.

The operation just above described is then repeated, the o Y erations continuing; until the entire string o rods has been removed from the well.

It is apparent that a string of rod may be let into the well by an operation reverse of that above described, and it is also apparent that while I have specifically mentioned use of the clamp in connection with sucker rods, the invention is as well adaptable for tubing and casing, size and strength of the materials of which the clamp is composed being varied to suit the different uses.

That I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is jl. A clamp ol the character described, comprising a body member having a'throat and a relatively large seat communicating wit-h the throat, latch jaws pivoted on the body member forwardly of said seat, a haudle slidable on the body member, toggle links connecting the latch jaws and handle member, and a spring urging the handle member and the links to locate the latch jaws in locking position in the throat, the spring being retractable by the handle to shift the latch jaws and tree the throat.

2. A clamp of the character described, comprising a body member having a throat and a relatively large seat communicating with the throat, a pair of latch jaws on the body member forwardly ot said seat on opposite sides of said throat engageable in locking relation to bar egress from the throat and yieldable in the direction of the seat to separate the same, a handle slidable on the bodymember, link connection between the aws and the handle member, and yielding means for urging the jaws to locking relation.

3. A clamp of the character described, comprising a body member having a throat and a relatively large seat communicating with the throat, a pair of latch jaws on the body member engageable in locking relation to bar egress from the throat and yieldahle in the direction of the seat to separate the same, a handle slidable on the body member, link connect-ion between the jaws and the handle member, an anchor pin on the body member, and a spring engaging the handle member and anchor pin, normally urging the latch jaws to locking relation.

el. A clamp ot the character described, con'iprising a chan'ibered block having guides in its side walls and registering throat slots in its top and bottom walls, a seat on the exterior ot said blocks ot' greater cross sectional area than the slots and communicating therewith, jaws pivotally mounted within the block, movable outwardly to locking engagement across the slots, a handle member slidable in said guides, toggle links connecting the latch jaws with the handle me1nber, and a spring urging the handle to close the jaws and retractable by the handle to open the jaws.

5. A clamp of the character described, comprising a chamber-ed block having guides in its side walls and registering throat slots in its top and bottom walls, a seat on the exterior of said blocks of greater cross sectional area than the slots and communicating therewith, aws pivotally mounted within the block, movable outwardly to locking engagement across the slots, a handle member slidable in said guides, and having an aperturcd base member, an anchor pin fixed to the body meniber, projected through the aperture in the base member and provided with a head, a spring on said pin engaging the handle member and head to urge the handle member toward the latch jaws, and toggle links connecting the latch jaws and handle member and normally yieldingly projecting the latch jaws to locking position.

6. A clamp oi" the character described, comprising a chambered body, open at both ends` having registering slots opening through one end and terminating in base recesses, an outstanding ring flange on the body forming an exterior seat, a wear ring in said ilangeseat having its inner edge overlying the recess in the body member, and having a diverging wall to form a conical seat, the flange and ring having slots registering with the slots in the body member, latch mechanism for closing the slots in the body member, and means `lor retracting the latch mechanism te permit egress from said recess.

In testimony whereof I aHiX my signature.

ALBERT H. NEILSON. 

